YouTube Encyclopedic

Transcription

The use and sale of alcohol has always been
a point of contention in the United States.
Who were those who were opposed to the sale
of alcohol? What were their primary arguments?
Throughout the 1800s, the opposition to alcohol
was known as the Temperance Movement. In the
United States, the Temperance Movement can
find its origins with a well-known physician,
Benjamin Rush, who preached about the importance
of moderating alcoholic intake. His message
led to the formation of a temperance society
in Connecticut, made up of more than two hundred
farmers. Before long, there were temperance
societies in other states as well. In 1826,
the American Temperance Society was formed.
By 1835, this group had 1.5 million members
nationwide.
The movement continued to gain momentum throughout
the 1840s and 1850s, however, it all but disappeared
during the 1860s due to the Civil War. The
entire nation's attention was focused on the
war effort, and causes such as the temperance
movement and the women's suffrage (right to
vote) movement were temporarily placed on
hold. After the war, the temperance movement
was revived with the creation of the Prohibition
Party (in 1869) and the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union (in 1873). These organizations
became the leading groups which denounced
the use and sale of alcohol.
As the 1800s progressed, the movement began
to experience some success. In 1881, Kansas
became the first state to outlaw the sale
and consumption of alcohol. Carrie A. Nation
became a visible leader of the temperance
movement because of her aggressive method
of enforcing Kansas' alcohol ban. She would
enter saloons, verbally berate the customers,
and then use a hatchet to destroy all of the
bottles of liquor in the establishment. Other
states began to follow Kansas' lead. In some
cases, individual towns or counties would
illegalize alcoholic beverages, rather than
an entire state.
By 1900, the temperance movement had become
a major factor in local and state politics.
The entire nation seemed to be divided between
"Wet" and "Dry". The Wets supported the sale
and consumption of alcohol. The Drys were
opposed. The Drys were largely made up of
protestant Christian groups, such as Methodists,
Baptists, and Presbyterians. The Wets consisted
of Catholics, as well as many others who felt
the government should not attempt to dictate
morality to its people.
The Dry arguments against alcohol included
how damaging it could be towards families.
They pointed out that things such as physical
abuse, poor health, and poverty could all
be caused by the over-consumption of alcohol.
To get their message out, temperance groups
produced a number of pamphlets which promoted
their agenda. Some were scientific in nature,
and included facts and statistics supporting
their argument. Other pamphlets were religious
in nature, quoting scripture from the Bible.
They also utilized the school system, teaching
temperance at a young age and indoctrinating
children into the Dry philosophy.
Strangely enough, the issue of prohibiting
alcohol was rarely mentioned in national politics.
The reason for this, was because there were
many Wets and Drys in both of the two main
political parties. However, by 1917, there
were 278 members of congress who supported
the Dry agenda, compared to only 126 congressmen
who claimed to be Wets. In December of 1917,
a resolution was passed in the House of Representatives
calling for a constitutional amendment.
This amendment, if passed, would prohibit
the "manufacture, sale, and transportation
of intoxicating liquors" within the United
States. This amendment was approved by both
houses of congress and passed on to the states
to be ratified. Mississippi became the first
state to ratify the amendment on January 8,
1919. Thirty-six states were needed to ratify
the amendment. This number was achieved just
achieved just eight days later, on January
16, 1919, making it the 18th Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution. By January 29, forty-four
states had approved the amendment.
The 18th Amendment was to be enacted one year
from the date of ratification. Therefore,
on January 16, 1920, nationwide prohibition
went into effect, and the entire country became
"dry".

Context

In the late-seventeenth century, alcohol was a vital part of colonial life as a beverage, medicine, and commodity for men, women, and children. Drinking was widely accepted and completely integrated in society; however, drunkenness was not. Despite that, drunkenness was common and not often seen as a social problem.[1]:5 The attitudes towards alcohol began to change in the late eighteenth century. One of the reasons for the shifting attitudes was the necessity for sober laborers to operate heavy machinery that had been developed as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Anthony Benezet suggested abstinence from alcohol in 1775.[1]:4[2]:36–37 As early as the 1790s, physician Benjamin Rush researched the danger that drinking alcohol could lead to disease that leads to a lack of self-control and he cited abstinence as the only treatment option.[3]:109 Rush saw benefits in fermented drinks, but condemned the use of distilled spirits.[2]:37 As well as addiction, Rush noticed the correlation that drunkenness had with disease, death, suicide and crime. After the American Revolution, Rush called upon ministers of various churches to act in preaching the messages of temperance.[4]:23 However, abstinence messages were largely ignored by Americans until the 1820s.[2]:37

Origins (pre-1820)

In the eighteenth century, there was a "Gin Craze" in the Kingdom of Great Britain. The bourgeoisie became increasingly critical of the widespread drunkenness among the lower classes. Motivated by the bourgeoisie's desire for order, and amplified by the population growth in the cities, the drinking of gin became the subject of critical national debate.[5]

In the early nineteenth-century United States, alcohol was still regarded as a necessary part of the American diet for both practical and social reasons. On the one hand, water supplies were often polluted, milk was not always available, and coffee and tea was expensive. On the other hand, social construct of the time made it impolite for people (particularly men) to refuse alcohol.[2]:37 Drunkenness was not a problem, because people would only drink small amounts of alcohol throughout the day, but at the turn of the nineteenth-century, overindulgence and subsequent intoxication became an issue that led to the disintegration of the family.[2]:37 Early temperance societies often associated with churches were located in upstate New York and New England, but only lasted a few years. These early temperance societies called for moderate drinking, but had little influence outside of their geographical areas.

In 1743, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Churches, proclaimed "that buying, selling, and drinking of liquor, unless absolutely necessary, were evils to be avoided".[6]

In 1810, Calvinist ministers met with a seminary in Massachusetts to write articles about abstinence from alcohol to use in preaching to their congregations.[2]:38 The Massachusetts Society for the Suppression of Intemperance (MSSI) was formed in 1813.[7] The organization only accepted men of high social standing and encouraged moderation in alcohol consumption. Its peak of influence was in 1818, but the MSSI ended in 1820 and made no significant mark on the future of the temperance movement.[8][2]:38 Other small temperance societies appear in the 1810s, but had little impact outside their immediate regions and they disbanded soon after. Their methods had little effect in implementing temperance and drinking actually increased until after 1830; however, their methods of public pledges and meetings as well as handing out pamphlets were implemented by more lasting temperance societies such as the American Temperance Society.[2]:38

Promoting moderation (1820s–'30s)

The temperance movement began at a national level in the 1820s, having been popularized by evangelical temperance reformers and among the middle classes.[3]:109[9][2]:38[note 1] There was a concentration on advice against hard spirits rather than on abstinence from all alcohol and on moral reform rather than legal measures against alcohol.[11][note 2] An early temperance movement began during the American Revolution in Connecticut, Virginia and New York state, with farmers forming associations to ban whiskey distilling. The movement spread to eight states, advocating temperance rather than abstinence and taking positions on religious issues such as observance of the Sabbath.[1]

After the American Revolution there was a new emphasis on good citizenship for the new republic.[10] With the Evangelical Protestant religious revival of the 1820s and '30s, called the Second Great Awakening, social movements began aiming for a perfect society. This included abolitionism and temperance.[10][9][2]:23 The Awakening brought with it an optimism about moral reform, achieved through volunteer organizations.[13]:6 Although the temperance movement was nonsectarian in principle, the movement consisted mostly of church-goers.[10]

The temperance movement promoted temperance and emphasized the moral, economical and medical effects of overindulgence.[12] Connecticut born minister Lyman Beecher published a book in 1826 called Six Sermons on...Intemperance. Beecher described inebriation as a "national sin" as well as suggesting legislation to prohibit the sales of alcohol.[2]:24–25 He believed that it was only possible for drinkers to reform in the early stages of addiction, because anyone in advanced stages of addiction, according to Beecher, had damaged their morality and could not be saved.[3]:110 Early temperance reformers often viewed drunkards as warnings rather than as victims of a disease, leaving the state to take care of them and their conduct.[3]:110 In the same year, the American Temperance Society (ATS) was formed in Boston, Massachusetts, within 12 years claiming more than 8,000 local groups and over 1,250,000 members.[14][15]:93Presbyterian preacher Charles Grandison Finney, taught abstinence from ardent spirits. In the Rochester, New York revival of 1831, individuals were required to sign a temperance pledge in order to receive salvation. Finney believed and taught that the body represented the "temple of God" and anything that would harm the "temple" including alcohol, must be avoided.[2]:24 By 1833, several thousand groups similar to the ATS were formed in most states. In some of the large communities, temperance almanacs were released which gave information about planting and harvesting as well as current information about the temperance issues.[2]:39

Temperance societies were being organized in England about the same time, many inspired by a Belfast professor of theology, and Presbyterian Church of Ireland Minister John Edgar,[16] who poured his stock of whiskey out of his window in 1829. He mainly concentrated his fire on the elimination of spirits rather than wine and beer.[11][17][18] On August 14, 1829 he wrote a letter in the Belfast Telegraph publicizing his views on temperance. He also formed the Ulster Temperance Movement with other Presbyterian clergy, initially enduring ridicule from members of his community.[19]

The 1830s saw a tremendous growth in temperance groups, not just in England and the United States, but also in British colonies, especially New Zealand[20] and Australia.[21]

Out of the religious revival and reform appeared Mormonism and Seventh-day Adventism, new Christian denominations that established criteria for healthy living as a part of their religious teachings, namely temperance.[2]:23

Latter Day Saints

The Word of Wisdom is a health code followed by the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Latter Day Saint denominations which advises how to maintain good health: what one should do and what one should abstain from. One of the most prominent items in the Word of Wisdom is the complete abstinence from alcohol.[22] When the Word of Wisdom was written, the Latter Day Saints were residing in Kirtland, Ohio and the Kirtland Temperance Society was organized on October 6, 1830 with 239 members.[23] According to some scholars, the Word of Wisdom was influenced by the temperance movement. In June 1830, the Millenial Harbinger quoted from a book "The Simplicity of Health" which strongly condemned the use of alcohol, tobacco, and the untempered consumption of meat, similar to the provisions in the Word of Wisdom revealed three years later. This gave publicity to the movement and Temperance Societies began to form.[24][25] On February 1, 1833, a few weeks before the Word of Wisdom came forth, all distilleries in the Kirtland area were shut down.[23] During the early history of the Word of Wisdom, temperance and other items in the health code were seen more as wise recommendations than commandments.[26]:132

Although he advocated for temperance, Joseph Smith did not preach complete abstinence from alcohol. According to Paul H. Peterson and Ronald W. Walker, Joseph Smith did not enforce abstinence from alcohol because he believed it would threaten individual choice and agency as well as that forcing the Latter Day Saints to comply would cause separation in the Church.[27]:33 In Harry M. Beardsley's book Joseph Smith and his Mormon Empire, Beardsley argues that some Mormon historians attempted to portray Joseph Smith as a teetotaler, but according to the testimonies of his contemporaries, Joseph Smith often drank alcohol in his own home or the homes of his friends in Kirtland. In Nauvoo, Illinois Smith was far less discreet with his drinking habits.[25][28] However, at the end of the nineteenth century, second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Brigham Young said that the Saints could no longer justify disobeying the Word of Wisdom because of the way that it was originally presented.[29] In 1921, Heber J. Grant, then president of the LDS church, officially called on the Latter-day Saints to strictly adhere to the Word of Wisdom, including complete abstinence from alcohol.[14]

Millerites and Seventh-day Adventists

Founder of the Millerites, William Miller claimed that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ would be in 1843 and that anyone who drank alcohol would be unprepared for the Second Coming.[2]:29 After the Great Disappointment in 1843, the Seventh-day Adventist denomination was formed by Ellen G. White and her husband, a preacher, James Springer White who did not use alcohol or tobacco.[2]:29 Ellen preached healthful living to her followers, without specifying abstinence from alcohol, as most of her followers were temperance followers, and that would have been implied.[2]:30

Teetotalism (1830s)

As a response to rising social problems in urbanized areas, a stricter form of temperance emerged called teetotalism, which promoted the complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages, this time including wine and beer, not just ardent spirits.[2]:39[30]:602 The name "teetotaler" came from the capital "T"s that were written next to the names of people who pledged complete abstinence from alcohol.[14] People were instructed to only drink pure water and the teetotalists were known as the "pure-water army".[2]:40[31] In the US, the American Temperance Union advocated the total abstinence of distilled and fermented liquors. By 1835, they had gained 1.5 million members. This created conflict between the teetotalists and the more moderate members of the ATS.[2]:40[12] Even though there were temperance societies in the South, as the movement became more closely tied with the abolitionist movement, people in the South created their own teetotal socities. Considering drinking was an important part of their cultures, German and Irish immigrants resisted the movement.[2]:40 In the UK, teetotalism originated in Preston, in 1833.[32][33] The Catholic temperance movement started in 1838 when the Irish priest Theobald Mathew established the Teetotal Abstinence Society in 1838.[34] In 1838, the mass working class movement for universal suffrage for men, Chartism, included a current called "temperance chartism".[35][36] Faced with the refusal of the Parliament of the time to give the right to vote to working people, the temperance chartists saw the campaign against alcohol as a way of proving to the elites that working-class people were responsible enough to be granted the vote.[37] In short, the 1830s was mostly characterized by moral persuasion of workers.[38]:25

Growing radicalism and influence (1840s–'50s)

The Washingtonian movement

In 1840, a group of artisans in Baltimore, Maryland created their own temperance society that could appeal to hard-drinking men like themselves. Calling themselves the Washingtonians, they pledged complete abstinence, attempting to persuade others through their own experience with alcohol rather than relying on preaching and religious lectures. They argued that sympathy was an overlooked method for helping people with alcohol addictions, citing coercion as an ineffective method. For that reason, they did not support prohibitive legislation of alcohol.[3]:110 They were suspicious of the divisiveness of denominational religion and did not use religion in their discussions, emphasizing personal abstinence. They never set up national organizations, believing that concentration of power and distance from citizens causes corruption. Meetings were public and they encouraged equal participation, appealing to both men and women and northerners and southerners.[3]:111 Unlike early temperance reformers, the Washingtonians did not believe that intemperance destroyed a drinker's morality.[3]:112 The worked on the platform that abstinence communities could be created through sympathizing with drunkards rather than ostracizing them through the belief that they are sinners or diseased.[3]:113

On February 22, 1842 in Springfield, Illinois, while a member of the Illinois Legislature, Abraham Lincoln gave an address to the Springfield Washington Temperance Society on the 110th anniversary of the birth of George Washington. In the speech, Lincoln criticized early methods of the temperance movement as overly forceful and advocated reason as the solution to the problem of intemperance, praising the current temperance movement methods of the Washingtonian movement.[39]

By 1845, the Washingtonian movement was no longer as prominent for three reasons. Firstly, the evangelist reformers attacked them for refusing to admit alcoholism was a sin. Secondly, the movement was criticized as unsuccessful due to the number of men who would go back to drinking. Finally, the movement was internally divided by differing views on prohibition legislation.[3]:113 Temperance fraternal societies such as the Sons of Temperance and the Good Samaritans took the place of the Washingtonian movement with largely similar views relating to helping alcoholics by way of sympathy and philanthropy. They, however, differed from the Washingtonians through their closed rather than public meetings, fines, and membership qualifications, believing their methods would be more effective in curbing men's alcohol addictions.[3]:113 After the 1850s, the temperance movement was characterized more by prevention by means of prohibitions laws, than remedial efforts to facilitate the recovery of alcoholics.[3]:113

Gospel temperance

By the mid-1850s, the United States was divided from differing views of slavery and prohibition laws and economic depression. This influenced the Third Great Awakening in the United States. The prayer meeting largely characterized this religious revival. Prayer meetings were devotional meetings run by laypeople rather than clergy and consisted of prayed and testimony by attendees. The meetings were held frequently and pledges of temperance were confessed. Prayer meetings and pledges characterized the post-Civil war "gospel" temperance movement. This movement was similar to early temperance movements in that drunkenness was seen as a sin; however, public testimony was used to convert others and convince them to sign the pledge.[3]:114 New and revitalized organizations emerged including the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and the early Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). The movement relied on the reformed individuals using local evangelical resources to create institutions to reform drunk men. Reformed men in Massachusetts and Maine formed "ribbon" clubs to support men who were interested in stopping drinking. Ribbon reformers traveled throughout the Midwest forming clubs and sharing their experiences with others. Gospel rescue missions or inebriate homes were created that allowed homeless drunkards a safe place to reform and learn to practice total abstinence while receiving food and shelter.[3]:115 These movements emphasized sympathy over coercion, yet unlike the Washingtonian movements, emphasized helplessness as well with relief from their addictions as a result from seeking the grace of God.[3]:116

During the Victorian period, the temperance movement became more political, advocating the legal prohibition of all alcohol, rather than only calling for moderation. Proponents of temperance, teetotalism and prohibition came to be known as the "drys".[9]

There was still a focus on the working class, but also their children. The Band of Hope was founded in 1847 in Leeds, UK, by the Reverend Jabez Tunnicliff. It aimed to save working class children from the drinking parents by teaching them the importance and principles of sobriety and teetotalism. In 1855, a national organisation was formed amidst an explosion of Band of Hope work. Meetings were held in churches throughout the UK and included Christian teaching. The group campaigned politically for the curtailment of the influence of pubs and brewers. The organization became quite radical, organizing rallies, demonstrations and marches to influence as many people as possible to sign the pledge of allegiance to the society and to resolve to abstain "from all liquors of an intoxicating quality, whether ale, porter, wine or spirits, except as medicine."[40]

In this period there was local success at restricting or banning the sale of alcohol in many parts of the United States. In 1838, Massachusetts banned certain sales of spirits. The law was repealed two years later, but it set a precedent.[9] In 1845, Michigan allowed its municipalities to decide whether they were going to prohibit.[41] In 1846, a law was passed in Maine which was a full-fledged prohibition, and this was followed by bans in several other states in the next two decades.[9]

The movement became more effective, with alcohol consumption in the US being decreased by half between 1830 and 1840. During this time, prohibition laws came into effect in twelve US states, such as Maine. Maine Law was passed in 1951 by the efforts of Neal Dow.[42] Organized opposition caused five of these states to eliminate or weaken the laws.[12]

Transition to a mass movement (1860s–1900s)

The Temperance movement was a significant mass movement at this time and encouraged a general abstinence from the consumption of alcohol. A general movement to build alternatives to replace the functions of public bars existed, so the Independent Order of Rechabites was formed in England, with a branch later opening in America as a friendly society that did not hold meetings in public bars. There was also a movement to introduce temperance fountains across the United States—to provide people with reliably safe drinking water rather than saloon alcohol.[43]

In 1870, physicians created the American Association of the Cure of Inebrity (AACI) to treat alcohol addiction. The two goals of the organization were to convince the skeptical medical community of the existence and seriousness of the disease of alcoholism and to prove the efficacy of asylum treatments of alcoholics.[3]:116 They argued for more genetic causes of alcohol addictions. Treatment often included restraint of the patient while they reformed both physically and morally.[3]:117

The Anti-Saloon League was an organization that began in 1893 in Ohio. Reacting to urban growth, it was driven by evangelical Protestantism.[9][41] Furthermore, the League was strongly supported by the WCTU: in some US states alcoholism had become epidemic and domestic violence rates were high. At the time, Americans drank about three times much as they did in the 2010s.[54] The League campaigned for suffrage and temperance simultaneously, with leader Susan B. Anthony stating that "The only hope of the Anti-Saloon League's success lies in putting the ballot into the hands of women", i.e. it was expected that the first act that women were to take upon themselves after having obtained the right to vote, was to vote for an alcohol ban.[41]

Actions of the temperance movement were organizing sobriety lectures and setting up reform clubs for men and children. Some proponents also opened special temperance hotels and lunch wagons, and lobbied for banning liquor during prominent events. The Scientific Temperance Instruction Movement published textbooks, promoted alcohol education and held many lectures.[30]:602[55] Political action included lobbying local legislators and creating petition campaigns.[51]:5

This new trend of temperance movement would be the last but also prove the most effective.[56]:163 Scholars have estimated that by 1900, one in ten Americans had signed a pledge to abstain from drinking,[57] as the temperance movement became the most well-organized lobby group of the time.[58] International conferences were held, in which temperance advocacy methods and policies were discussed.[38]:23–24 By the turn of the century, temperance societies became commonplace in the US.[9]

Legislative successes and failures (1910s)

A 1871 American advertisement promoting temperance, styled as a fictitious railroad advertisement

A favorite goal of the British Temperance movement was to sharply reduce heavy drinking by closing as many pubs as possible. Advocates were Protestant nonconformists who played a major role in the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party adopted temperance platforms focused on local option.[60] In 1908, Prime Minister H.H. Asquith—although a heavy drinker himself[61]—took the lead by proposing to close about a third of the 100,000 pubs in England and Wales, with the owners compensated through a new tax on surviving pubs.[62] The brewers controlled the pubs and organized a stiff resistance, supported by the Conservatives, who repeatedly defeated the proposal in the House of Lords. However, the People's Tax of 1910 included a stiff tax on pubs.[63][64]

The movement gained further traction during the First World War, with President Wilson issuing sharp restrictions on the sale of alcohol in many combatant countries. This was done to preserve grain for food production.[9] During this time, prohibitionists used anti-German sentiment related to the war to rally against alcohol sales, since many brewers were of German-American descent.[41][note 3]

According to alcohol researcher Johan Edman, the first country to issue an alcohol prohibition was Russia, as part of war mobilization policies.[38]:27 This followed after Russia had made significant losses in the war against the sober Japanese in 1905.[38]:35 In the UK, the Liberal government passed the Defence of the Realm Act 1914 when pub hours were licensed, beer was watered down and was subject to a penny a pint extra tax,[66] and in 1916 a State Management Scheme meant that breweries and pubs in certain areas of Britain were nationalized, especially in places where armaments were made.[67]

In 1913, the ASL began its efforts for national prohibition.[4]:118Wayne Wheeler, a member of the Anti-Saloon League was integral in the prohibition movement in the United States. He used hard political persuasion called "Wheelerism" in the 1920s of legislative bodies. Rather than ask directly for a vote, which Wheeler viewed as weak, Wheeler would cover the desks of legislators in telegrams. He was also accomplished in rallying supporters; the Cincinnati Enquirer called Wheeler "the strongest political force of his day".[4]:113-114 His efforts specifically influenced the passing of the eighteenth-amendment.[4]:114 And in 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment was successfully passed in the United States, introducing prohibition of the manufacture, sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages. The amendment, also called "the noble experiment", was preceded by the National Prohibition Act, which stipulated how the federal government should enforce the amendment.[9]

Norway introduced partial prohibition in 1917, which became full prohibition through a referendum in 1919, although this was overturned in 1926.[73] Similarly, Finland introduced prohibition in 1919, but repealed it in 1932 after an upsurge in violent crime associated with criminal opportunism and the illegal liquor trade.[74] Iceland introduced prohibition in 1915, but liberalized consumption of spirits in 1933, although beer was still illegal until 1989.[75][76] In the 1910s, half of the countries in the world had introduced some form of alcohol control in their laws or policies.[38]:28

Decline (1920s–'60s)

The temperance movement started to wane in the 1930s, with prohibition being criticised as creating unhealthy drinking habits,[70] encouraging criminals and discouraging economic activity. Prohibition would not last long: the legislative tide largely moved away from prohibition when President Roosevelt made the decision to repeal prohibition on December 5, 1933. The gradual relaxation of licensing laws went on throughout the 20th century, with Mississippi being the last state to end prohibition in 1966.[9] In Australia, early hotel closing times were reverted in the 1950s and 1960s.[note 5]

Initially, prohibition had some positive effects in some states, with Ford reporting that absenteeism in his companies had decreased by half.[41] Alcohol consumption decreased dramatically. Also, statistical analysis has shown that the temperance movement during this time had a positive, though moderate, effect on later adult educational outcomes through providing a healthy pre-natal environment.[56]:162,165[30]:157 However, prohibition had negative effects on the American economy, with thousands of jobs being lost, the catering and entertainment industries losing huge profits. The US and other countries with prohibition saw their tax revenues decrease dramatically, with some estimating this at a loss of 11 billion dollars for the US.[9][71][note 6] Furthermore, enforcement of the alcohol ban was an expensive undertaking for the government. Because the Eighteenth Amendment did not prohibit consumption, but only manufacture, distribution and sale, illegal consumption became commonplace. Illegal production of alcohol rose, and a thousand people per year died of alcohol that was illegally produced with little quality control. Bootlegging was a profitable activity for the mafia, and crime increased rather than decreased as expected and advocated by proponents.[9]

The temperance movement itself was in decline as well: fundamentalist and nativist groups had become dominant in the movement, which led moderate members to leave the movement.[9]

1960s–present

The temperance movement still exists in many parts of the world, although it is generally less politically influential than it was in the early 20th century. In youth culture in the 1990s, temperance was an important part of the straight edge scene, which also stressed abstinence from other drugs.[79]

Beliefs, principles and culture

Temperance proponents saw the alcohol problem as the most crucial problem of Western civilization.[38]:21 Alcoholism was seen to cause poverty,[54] and all types of social problems: alcohol was the enemy of everything good that modernity and science had to offer.[38]:23 They believed that alcohol would help decrease crime, make families stronger, and improve society as a whole.[9] Although the temperance movement was non-denominational in principle, the movement consisted mostly of church-goers.[10] Temperance advocates tended to use scientific arguments to back up their views, although at the core the temperance philosophy was moral-religious in nature.[38]:38 The alcohol problem was connected with a sense of purpose and modernity of the western nation, and was largely international in nature, in keeping with the international optimism typical for the period preceding the First World War.[38]:41

Historical analysis of conference documents helps create an image of what the temperance movement stood for. The movement believed that alcohol abuse was a threat to scientific progress, as it was believed citizens had to be strong and sober to be ready for the modern age. Progressive themes and causes such as abolition, natural self-determination, worker's rights, and the importance of women in rearing children to be good citizens were key themes of this citizenship ideology.[38]:25–26 The movement put itself at service of the state, but was also critical of it. In that sense, it was a radical movement with liberal and socialist aspects, although in some parts of the world, notably the US, allied with conservatism.[38]:40–41 Alcohol was often associated with oppression: not only oppression in the West, but also in colonies.[38]:35 Temperance advocates saw alcohol as a product that "... enables a few to become rich while it impoverishes the very many". Temperance advocates worked closely with the labor movement, as well as the women suffrage movement, partly because there was mutual support and benefit, and the causes were seen as connected.[38]:41

Prevention, treatment and restriction

Temperance proponents used a variety of means to prevent and treat alcohol abuse and restrict its consumption.[38]:24 At the end of the nineteenth century, medically-oriented treatment of alcohol abuse became more common.[38]:26 In a trend that was preceded by Rush's writings, alcoholism came to be seen as an illness which could be medically treated. Scientists who were temperance proponents attempted to find the underlying causes of alcohol abuse. At the same time, criticism rose toward use of alcohol in medical care.[38]:39–40 The notion of alcohol abuse as a disease would only become widely accepted much later, however, until after the Second World War.[38]:38–39

Nevertheless, restriction of consumption was most emphasized in the movement, though ideas on how to accomplish this were varied and conflicting.[38]:26 Apart from the prohibition by law, there were also ideas to establish state monopoly on all alcohol sales,[38]:27 or through law reform remove profit from the alcohol industry.[38]:28

During the 1900s decade, the ideal of strong citizens was further developed into the hygienism ideology.[38]:30 Through the influence of scientific theories on heredity, temperance proponents came to believe that alcohol problems were not just a personal concern, but would cause later generations of people to "degenerate" as well.[38]:32 Public hygiene and improving the population through personal lifestyle were therefore promoted.[38]:30–31 A variety of temperance halls and coffee palaces were established as replacements for bars. Numerous periodicals devoted to temperance were published[note 7] and temperance theatre, which had started in the 1820s, became an important part of the American cultural landscape at this time.[84] The temperance movement generated its own popular culture. Popular songwriters such as Susan McFarland Parkhurst, George Frederick Root, Henry Clay Work and Stephen C. Foster composed a number of these songs.[85] At temperance inns puppet plays, minstrel acts, parades and other shows were held.[30]:602

Role of women

Much of the temperance movement was based on organized religion, which saw women as responsible for edifying their children to be abstaining citizens.[10][38]:23 Nevertheless, temperance was tied in with both religious renewal and progressive politics, particularly female suffrage[9] Furthermore, temperance activists were able to promote suffrage more effectively than suffrage activists themselves, because of their wide-ranging experience as activists, and because they argued for a concrete aim of safety at home, rather than an abstract aim of justice as the suffragists did.[51]:5–6

By 1831, there were over 24 women's organizations dedicated to the temperance movement. Women were specifically drawn to the temperance movement, because it represented a fight to end a practice that greatly affected women's quality of life. Temperance was seen as a feminine, religious and moral duty, and when achieved, it was seen as a way to gain familial and domestic security as well as salvation in a religious sense.[2]:47 Indeed, scholar Ruth Bordin stated that the temperance movement was "the foremost example of American feminism."[86] Prominent women such as Amelia Bloomer, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony were active in temperance and abolitionist movements in the 1840s.[2]:47

A myriad of factors contributed to women's interest in the temperance movement. One of the initial contributions was the frequency in which women were victims of alcohol abuse. In a Chicago meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, Susan B. Anthony stated that women suffer the most from drunkenness. The inability for women to control wages, vote, or own property added to a woman's vulnerability.[87]:7 Another contribution was related to the role of women in the home in the nineteenth century which was largely to preside over the spiritual and physical needs of the home and the family. Because of this, women believed it was their duty to protect their families from the danger of alcohol and to convert their family members to the ideas of abstinence. This new found calling to temperance, however, did not change the widely held viewpoint at the time that women were only responsible for matters regarding their homes.[87]:8 Consequently, women had what Ruth Bordin referred to as the "maternal struggle" which was the internal contradiction women felt with the new power to make change they had discovered, but in still believing in their nurturing and domestic roles and they did not yet understand how to use their power.[87]:8-9 June Sochen called women who joined movements such as women's temperance organizations "pragmatic feminists", because they took action to solve their grievances, but were not interested in altering traditional sex roles.[88] The missionary organizations of many Protestant denominations gave women avenue to work from; there were already all-female missionary societies that were easily changed into women's temperance organizations.[87]:9-10

In the 1870s and 1880s, the number of women in the middle and upper classes was large enough to support women participation in the temperance movement. Higher class women did not need to work and could rely on their husbands to support their families and consequently had more leisure time to engage in organizations and associations related to the temperance movement.[87]:10 The influx of Irish immigrants filled in the servant jobs left by freed African-Americans after the American Civil War, leaving upper and middle class women with even more time to participate in the community with domestic jobs being taken care of. Moreover, the birth rate had fallen, leaving women with an average of four children in 1880 as compared to seven children at the beginning of the nineteenth-century.[89][87]:11-12 The gathering of people in urban areas and the extra leisure time for women contributed to the mass female temperance movement.[87]:11-12

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) grew out of a spontaneous crusade against saloons and liquor stores that began Ohio and spread throughout the Midwestern United States during the winter of 1873-1874. The crusade consisted of over 32,000 women storming into saloons and liquor stores to disrupt business and stop the sales of alcohol.[90][87]:15 The WCTU was officially organized in late November of 1874 in Cleveland, Ohio.[91] Frances Willard, the organization's second president, helped grow the organization into the largest women's religious organization in the 19th century. Willard was interested in suffrage and women's rights as well as temperance, believing that temperance could improve the quality of life on a family and a community level. The WCTU trained women in skills such as public speaking, leadership, and political thinking, using temperance as a springboard to achieve a higher quality of life for women on many levels. In 1881, the WCTU began to lobby for the mandation of instruction of temperance in public schools. In 1901, schools were required to instruct students on temperance ideas, but were accused of perpetuating misinformation, fear mongering, and racist stereotypes. Carrie Nation was one of the most extremist temperance movement workers and was arrested 30 times for the destruction of property at bars, saloons, and even pharmacies, believing that even alcohol used for medicine was unjustified. At the approach of the 20th century, the temperance movement became more interested in legislative reform as the pressure from the Anti-Saloon League increased. Women, having not yet achieved suffrage became less central to the movement in the early 1900s.[92]

Other causes

Prohibition agendas also became popular among factory owners, who strove for more efficiency during a period of increased industrialization.[9] For this reason, industrial leaders such as Henry Ford and S.S. Kresge supported Prohibition.[41] The cause of the sober factory worker was related to the cause of women temperance leaders: concerned mothers protested against the enslavement of factory workers, as well as the temptation saloons offered to these workers.[30]:602 Efficiency was also an important argument for the government, because they wanted their soldiers to be sober.[38]:35

At the end of the nineteenth century, temperance movement opponents started to criticize the slave trade in Africa. This came during the last period of rapid colonial expansion. Slavery and alcohol trade in colonies were seen as two closely related problems, described as "the twin oppressors of the people". Again, this subject tied in with the ideas of civilization and effectiveness: temperance advocates raised the issue that the "natives" could not be properly "civilized" and put to work, if they were provided with the vice of alcohol.[38]:35–36